Apparatus for the manufacture of sheet or plate glass



M, @3L w. E. NQEBE APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SHEET OR PLATE GLASS Filed may 1s, 1929 gnuml ro@ CUI/hdm E. Nobbe.

atto: n e L4 analisi WILLIAM E. NOBBE, 0F TOLEDO, OHIOr ASSIGNOR TO LIBBEY-OWmS-FORD GLASS COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION 0F OHIO APPARATUS FOR THF. MANUFACTURE SHEET OR PLATE GMS Application filed May 13,

This invention relates broadly to apparatus for the manufacture of sheet or plate glass and more particularly to means for receiving and supporting a newly formed sheet thereon.

An important object of the present invention resides in the provision of novel and improved means adapted to be associated with sheet rolling mechanism for receiving the sheet as it is formed therefrom and conveying it to a position for discharge into an annealing leer.

Another important object of the invention resides in the provision of a sheet support-` ing table or the like having Ia substantially solid top construction for receiving the sheet thereupon whereby the danger of the sheet sagging thereon during its transfer to 'the annealing leer will be minimized7 said table also embodying means for effecting the rapid and convenient transfer of the sheet therefrom into said leer in such a manner as to avoid warping or buckling of the sheet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet supporting table of the above described character adapted to be moved in proximity to sheet rolling mechanism for.

receiving the sheet therefrom, said table being of a substantially solid top construction and including a plurality of sheet supporting rolls, said rolls being in horizontal alignment with respect to the leer rolls so that when theshe'et is formed and laid upon the table it is inl proper position `to be :ted into the leer, thereby avoiding the necessity of raising or lowering the supporting rolls to first bring them into proper alignment with the leer rolls before the sheet can be removed from the table into the leer.

A further object of the invention is to provide sheet supporting means of the above de.

scribed character mounted to travel beneath the sheet forming mechanism during the forming and laying of the sheet thereupon, whereby said sheet can be formed at a relatively high rate of speed and subsequently fed into and through the annealing leer at a relatively slower speed.

Other objects and advantages of the in- 1929. Serial No. 362,605.

vention will become more apparent during the course of the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

in the drawings forming a part of this application y'and wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. l is a vertical longitudinal section through apparatus provided by the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the improved sheet supporting table, partially in section, and

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the sheet roliing mechanism showing the drive means therefor.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 5 designates a receptacle or receiver upon which is adapted to be deposited a mass or charge of completely melted and reiined molten glass 6. Arranged at one end of the receiver 5 are the substantially superimposed sheet forming rolls 7 and 8 spaced from one another in a manner to create a sheet forming pass therebetween. These rolls, are adapted to receive the moiten glass 6 from receptacle 5 and reduce it to a sheet 9 of substantiaily predetermined and uniform thickness. As shown in Fig. 3, the forming rolls 7 and 8 are mounted upon shafts l0 journaled at. their opposite ends in bearings 1l. One of the forming rolls is adapted to be positively driven such as through a suitable chain and sprocket drive l2 and the other forming roli is driven from the positively driven roll through the intermeshing gears 13 keyed to the roll shafts l0. As the sheet 9 issues from between the forming rolls 7 and 8 it is supg ported upon and moved downwardly over an inclined runway or slab lli and laid upon the improved supporting table provided by the present invention. Y

This supporting and conveying tabie is herein designated in its entirety by the numeral l5 and comprises more specifically a truck including a horizontal bottoni 16 naving the upstanding side portions or boards 17 and 18 extending substantially the entire and 18 of' the trible euch ce 'face of bed 19 will ser length thereoiB Adopted to be freely supported. upon `the bottoni 1S oi" the is the substantie f solid stationery sheet supporting?,f hed IThis hed is provided in its upper surface e plurality of speced parallel tre"'f^ieely extending recesses or grooves 2@ Wi` iin which are disposed the rotumble sheet supporting members or rolls 21.. The rolls 21 ere mounted upon she-Ets 22 journeled et "reir opposite ends in the side portions l? f l@ of the teble. For the purpose of driving these rolls7 the shaft 23 of euchv roll projected beyond the side portion 1? table und hes lreyed thereto e @our 23. Aiuned ebout ell of the gears 23 is u' drive ci n 24:5 seid chain being elso trained ebout er 25 carried by she-lt 2G driven from o ttor 2"? hung 'from the hottom 16 of the t ble. Thus, 'upon operation of the motor 2'?, ell of the sheet supporting and conveying rolls 21. will be driven et e uniform speed the seine direction.

The stetionery supporting bed 19 is adopted to be sed end lowered relative to the supper :rolls 21 when in its raised position seid bed end rolls coM operette With one ther to produce e suo stentiully solid top teble e substantirilly Het unbroken surtuce `cor supporting the' sheet thereupon. lin other Words, the upper surfaces ot "the rolls 21 ere edepted to 'be in horizontel elicoment with the upper surface of the hed. ovvever, the bed i9 is adopted to be Lovvered reletive to the rolls 21 when it is desired to elfect the removed of the sheet :troni teble es v1* ore clearly hereinoiter described. l pose ot reisine' i respect to sei' io l neath the hed .19B e p extending spaced she te their opposite ends i um? spliced @mi 'members 2J., rotation of the :fh

the cern members 29 c the hed end will hold i tion es illustrated in o. rotation of the shorts, however, the ee members will he moved with the bed end this wir of seid bed relotive the rolls 21. the hed is in its lowered position, the cere members will be received recesses formed in the upper surface 'the bottom 16 oi the trible.

All ot the tronsverse sh '2S ere preferably simultaneously rototeo so thet the hed 19 will be uniformly reised throughout its entire length et e. plurelity spaced points and to this end, there is 1li-eyed to one end of each sholt 2d e worm goor 3l meshingwith a worm 32 mounted upon t e ley-shalt 33 which is carried by sind extends longitudi- `33 may be ope Lerenti nelly elong one side oi 'the teble. The shett Jed by suitable mechenicel ineens or rnenuelly rotated by the provision of hand Wheels carried et one or both ends thereof.

Supported upon the bottoni, .Ji ol: the table ere e, plurality of vertical pins or the like 35 received Within recesses formed in the bed 19, seid pins beingl provided to guide the bed in its vertical-movements and prevent lateral movement thereof. The improved table 15 herein provided is adopted to travel beneath the sheet forming or rolling meehenism above Vdescribed, during the forming of the sheet end to this end is supported upon Wheels 36 running uponthe tracks or rails 37. Any desired ineens moy be utilized for driving the table along the trecls such as for exemple7 e, drive pinion 38 meshing With e raclr 39 secured to the underside O said teble. v

In operation of the present invention, the .mass or charge oi molten glass o is lirst deposited upon the receiver end is then moved therefrom to the'sheet forming rolls Z land i? which iunction to reduce it to sheet form es idiceted et 9. Simultaneously' with the formino ofi the sheet, the table is moved to tesright elong the tracks so es to receive 'the sheet es it posses from the runway il. The linear trevel of the tehle 15 is preferebly the same es the i eripherel speed of the orrring rolls Y and 8 so that the sheet 'will be leid upon the table without buckling, stretching, etc. During the laying oi the sheet upon the table, the supporting rolls 2l ere stationery und the hed 19 is elevated to its reised osition by ineens of the come 29 so that sold bed and rolls 'will cooperete with one enother to form substantially tiet unbroken sheet su porting surface es aboveI pointed out.. e to such en errengement, it will vbe apparent that eny denger oi the sheet su ging durthe time it is being supported upon'J the the newly formed sheet thereupon, is theninoved elong the treclrs 3'? to a position opposite the intake end of en annealing leer si() es indicated by the hrolren lines in Fig. 1. when in such position, the travel of the teble is stopped und the com members 29 ere'roteted so that' they will be received Within the recesses end thus allow the bed 19 'to he lowered. When the bed is lowered, the rolls @l `will naturally project slightly thereehove and these rolls ere then roteted by Ythe driving ineens above described to `feed the sheet into and through the annealing leer9 seid sheet being supported and cerried along Within the leer upon e series oi leer rolls or other suitable mechanism ll. The supporting rolls 21 therefore not only cooperate with the bed 19 to support the sheet in e rnenner to prelli vent sagging thereo but further provide an edective and eiicient ymeans for rapidly and conveniently eiiecting the removal of the sheet from the table into the `leer. By such an arrangement, the sheet may be ted into the leer in such a manner as to avoid warping or buckling thereof such as might c be very apt to result from the practice of virst bring the rolls'into proper alignment with the leer rolls before said sheet canvbe receive the sheet thereupon.

removed from the table into the leer.

. in accordance with the present invention, the sheet Q may be formed at one speed and annealed while traveling at a different speed. n fact, the sheet 9 is preferably formed at a relatively high rate of speed by rapidly rotating the forming rolls 7 and 8 during the formation ot the sheet, the table is moved to the `right beneath the forming mechanism at a linear speed equal to the peripheral speed of the formin rolls to iter the sheet has been completely laid upon the table, the said table can be moved to a discharge position adjacent the annealing 'leer at the same speed oreven at a greater speed if desired. After the table has been brought to its discharge. position yadjacent the leer,

and stopped, however, the sheet is fed into the leer by the rolls 21 at a relatively slowerk peed than its speed of formation and pre'erably at the same speed it is adapted to travel through said leer while being annealed.

lt is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is tp be talren as the preferred embodiment of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

l claim:

l. ln apparatus oi the character de-v scribed, a table ioryreceiving and supporting a newly formed sheet of glass thereupon, said table comprising a bottom, a stationary bed freely supported upon said bottom and having a plurality of spaced parallel trans# versely extending recesses in its upper sur- Jlfacne, rotatable rolls disposed within saidv recesses, uneans Jfor drivin 'the rolls in unison, means carried by t ye bottom and engaging the undersurface et the bed for raising and lowering the same with respect to said rolls, and means also carried b the bottom and engaging the bed :tor guiding said bed in its vertical movements and for preventing lateral movement thereof.

2.1[n apparatus of the character de' scribed, a table for receiving and supporting a newly formed sheet of glass thereupon, said table comprising` a bottom and upstanding side portions, a stationary bed freely supported upon said bottom and having a plurality of spaced parallel transversely extending recesses in its upper surface, rolls disposed within said recesses, shafts carrying said rolls and journaled within said side portions, means for driving said shafts to rotate the rolls in unison, means carried by the bottom and en aging the undersurfacefo the bed for eiiecting raisingand lowering thereof relative to said.v rolls, and means also carried by the bottom and received Within recesses in the under- 'surface of the bed for guiding said bed in its vertical movements and for preventing lateral movement thereof.,

3. In apparatus of the 'character der scribed, a. table for receiving and supporting a newly formed sheet of glass thereupon, said table comprising a bottom, a stationary bed freely supported upon said bottom and having a plurality of spaced parallel transversely extending recesses in its upper surtace, rotatable rolls disposed within said d recesses, means for driving said rolls in unison, and means for raising and lowering the bed relative .Y to said rolls including a plurality ofcams carried by the bottom and engaging the undersurface of said bed, said bottom being provided with recesses tor receiving the cams therein when the bedvis lowered.

4. ln apparatus of the character described, a table for receiving and supporting a newly formed sheet of glass thereupon, said tablecomprising a bottom and upstanding side portions, a stationary bed freely supported upon said bottom and having a' plurality of spaced parallel transversely extending recesses in its upper surace, rolls disposed within said recesses, shafts carry ing said rolls and journaled within said side portions, means for driving said shafts to rotate the rolls in unison, means for raising' and lowering the bed relative to said rolls including a plurality of cams carried by the bottom and ,engaging the undersurface of said bed, said bottom being provided with recesses for receiving the cams therein. when the bed is lowered, and'means carried by the bottom and received within recesses in the bed for guiding the same during its vertical movements and for preventing lateral movement thereof.

5. In apparatus of the character described, a table for receiving and supporting a newly formed sheet. of glass thereupon, said table comprisin a bottom, a stationary bed freely supporte upon said bottom and having e plufely of spaced? parallel *wensversey emendng Iecesees in its um su?- fece7 rotatebe ms dispose@ Within seid recessesj means for lvng the rolls in unison, mesme carried by e poltien of the table and engaging the bed fer msng and ewering the seme Wh espec; .who said rolle9 and means also carried by a portion' ef the table and engaging the bed for guiding sef bef in us vetee movemengs and fee preventing leeel'e movemem; heree 6. n apparatus el the eheffecer escribeds e table for eeevng and suppertng newy formed sheet gess "ehefeupen(l said table ncudng e, truck hevlg a bei;-

'zom and upstzmdng side portions? e ete.- tenel'y bed reey suppeted upon seid het tem. and having e. plurality ef spaced perelle rensvesey extending -feeesses in its upp'el surface, rolls disposed Within. said recesses9 shefe Cmyng; Seid Eolie and; journals@ within said, side petenej means for driving said shete te retee he ols in unec means eemse by the tuek add emhereof relative te said relis, und me? e also calied by "ehe Muck and engeg in e bed for guiding sac bed in its velt movements and foi pevelltng e'tera A @Guilty 

